More Regional Stops & Snapshots AND Even More Vegan Finds

Strange question right off the bat?  I'm a little OCD and can't stand it when I have a post that has zero comments LOL.  I posted later yesterday and earlier today and at the time of writing this yesterday's post didn't have any comments so if you can help me out by commenting on both of the posts I would appreciate it.  Does anyone else have this OCD issue when it comes to blogging?

Anyways...more photos from the last couple of months including this vegan find!  I believe I found this at Giant Eagle in Erie.  It was pretty good.  I see they are coming out with more breakfast options, however, I have found that I am eating them for dinner!

These lil gems I found at Wegmans and I have to say I'm a fan!  I see they have other products that are vegan, too, so if I see them again I will have to try them! 

I also spotted these at Wegmans.  I had been seeing other people post other flavors on IG and when I saw them FINALLY I just about jumped for joy!  I have yet to make them but one of these days I will get to it!

I've already downed this bottle of Goddess Dressing from Trader Joe's!

These I bought at Lakewood Apothecary.  They have some neat vegan snacks there.  I tried these and like them but find it to be an occasional snack and not one where I would eat an entire bag at one sitting.

I also found this Detox Toothpaste at Lakewood Apothecary!  Has anyone else located this yet by chance?  I have used it a few times and it's ok so far.

I consider myself to be somewhat techie but there are certain things I still like to have to physically write in and to have in front of me instead of using an app or device.  A daily planner is one of those things.  I have been on the search for one for what seems to be EVER and a few weeks ago I finally found one that I really like.  This was the quote that was on the front.

While in my travels for work I enjoyed the time I spent on one block of Jamestown where there were a few shops within that block.  This was one of the shops.  It's the Bio Dome Project and they had a co-op/vendor feel to it and carried some interesting items.  I loved their window store front and snapped this pic for my co-worker since she's our resident 'plant lady' and has gotten a few of us started with office plants!

Right next door was The Sprinkle Cone.  I really LOVED the look of this place!  Artsy!  They even have about 3 vegan options daily.

The space is opened via garage door but they converted the inside for this space.

It's seasonal but super cool decor where you can scribble on their chalk board walls!

While in Jamestown I also stopped over at Full Moon Rising Bakery.  They had a nice space, as well, and carry at least 1 vegan option daily.

This is the outside of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY.  Jamestown is the home of Roger Tory Peterson who was a naturalist, educator, artist, and environmental advocate before environmentalism was 'a thing'.  His specialty was birds.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is right down the street from SUNY JCC - Jamestown Community College.  That's where I went to college and it's been a while since I have stopped over and spent time in that neighborhood.  Down the other side of the street is this park I used to spend time at while in college.  It's called College Park and before that it was called "Hundred Acre Lot".  The history behind it is that it was SAVED by fundraising efforts by area teachers and students and was one of the first School Parks in the nation.

Oh!  I almost forgot to post about this Vegetable Panang Curry I found at Trader Joe's!  I figured it was time for another food break in this post before moving on to more travel and regional photos and tidbits!

These two photos were taken at the foot of Bett's Park in Warren, PA.  I've featured other photos from this park before but I don't think I have posted about the water side of things.

It was a bit on the dry side when I took them.  Sometimes the water is higher.  These trees will be changing colors for fall soon.  I will try and get more fall photos this year and post them soon!

And one last photo for today.  This is another park.  This one is on the other side of Jamestown and is called McCrea Point Park.  It's a nice little park in the middle of old factory buildings and a bit of hustle and bustle.

Smiles, Backlogging of Vegan Finds, & Community Happenings

I'm still trying to catch up on posts.  I really have to stop doing that.  Life gets in the way, sometimes.  This photo of my darling niece was taken a while ago but I thought it was too cute NOT to post.  That AND she's wearing one of her many unicorn shirts.  Yup!  I'm totally getting her into BOTH unicorns AND dinosaurs!

I've had this Rebel Kitchen Mylk before but recently found it at our local Tops Market and it was on sale and I had to grab it!  I found the chocolate one and the chai one there!

I want to say I grabbed this a while back when we visited the Whole Foods in Buffalo but I'm 2nd guessing myself.  I've never been a cereal person but this looked interesting.  Heck...I have never been much of a breakfast person but I'm REALLY trying to change that.  So far...I'm failing.  I still have this unopened.  Hopefully, SOON I will crack into it!

I finally got my hands on 2 of these plant-based burritos from Alpha Foods.  I know a lot of people absolutely LOVE these.  I thought they were 'ok' but I didn't find them mind-blowing.

And speaking of burritos...I was also able to locate one or two from Daiya recently.  These were also just 'ok'.  I found the texture of the burrito itself a little weird.  The taste wasn't bad...it just wasn't as awesome as I had hoped it would be.

This was another Whole Foods product I forgot to highlight on my blog when I got them several months ago.  They were tasty!  They had a nice medium strength spicy kick to them, too!

This was something I was really surprised about when I first saw them at my local Tops!  They are pricy but because I had never seen them before I HAD to try them!  They were really yummy!  I also had their little dessert cup thingies, too!  YUM!

My husband thinks it's weird that I eat waffles plain and like toast or pop tarts with my hands instead of a fork.  I hadn't had these in a LONG time and found them on sale a while back at the Lakewood Wegmans!

I was able to find these again at my local Aldi.  When they first came out I saw them but it's been a while in between.  I think they are pretty good.  They also have a root vegetable one, too!

Back in early March our local Zonta Club had it's Annual Lucky Numbers Luncheon which is a crazy day of fun and fundraising!  I was thrilled to see THIS vegan handbag as one of the prizes.  I'm not into fashion or accessories usually but I did throw my tickets in this one!  I didn't win but it was all in good fun and we did raise a lot of money that day.  There were over 120 LARGE prizes!

In other community news, I'm part of a group who is trying to wrangle up volunteers in our county.  We are organizing an annual weekend of volunteerism in the middle of May.  It's called Warren County Serves.  More on that in coming posts.  I think this photo was from our February meeting and since we live in the snow belt you can see we even wear hats inside sometimes because the heating systems couldn't keep up with the frigidly low temperatures.

During our Mid-March Zonta Meeting not only did we do another collection and shipment for Free The Girls we also took part in My National Freedom Day.  

Here are some of the photos from our shipping party!  We shipped another 400 bras to Free The Girls!  That is the 3rd shipment we have done since joining to be an official drop off location.  1,264 bras have been shipped in the 3 shipments so far!

16 Days of Activism Re-Cap, Zonta, Vegan Christmas Cookies, BOOCH, Office Plants, More!

Happy New Year!

I'm still trying to catch up on the last several months so I'm sticking with the clumps of 6 to catch up on some photo posts.  In this post, you will see a lot of Zonta related posts because most of them were taken/posted during the 16 Days of Activism!  You can see the first one in the middle of the top row.

You can also see 3 Vegan Finds - 2 on the top and one on the bottom.  The Miyoko's I found while out and about - I think Wegman's.  I think I also found the new Zesty Daiya Cheese Sauce there!  And I know I found the soup that was on sale...actually...it looks like they aren't going to carry it anymore...so it was super cheap!

A snapshot of Cricket's lil paw-foot while she was sleeping on my lap and under the blanket - just because!  The one on the end and on the bottom was from the Friday after Thanksgiving when our Zonta Club Members were selling raffle ticket.  The money raised goes towards our many service projects!  More on those down the road!

I've told you about our new, local Ollies!  I have had good luck with vegan finds there - including Larabar Bites!  YUM!  At our local Tops, I found Red Lentil Pasta.  I really liked it!

I also briefly mentioned how I have made a few 'forts' in my parents Living Room for Trinity.  Here is a snapshot of one of those!  If you click on the pics - they get bigger - and you can see her in the right-hand corner.

I did find some Vegan Mashed Potatoes on sale while in my travels, too, I have had them before but since they were on sale I knew I had to grab them!  

Total Evolution in Warren hired a Vegan Chef and he specializes in Buddha Bowls!  There is one of the pictured in the top center of this 6.  

I recently spoke at a networking function for our local Women's Care Center.  Our Zonta Pres and I talked about our ongoing collection of new and gently used bras for FTG (Free The Girls).  You can see another photo of that on the bottom center and a few posts on the 16 Days of Activism.

I did try another Garde'in Bowl.  The flavor was ok but I could do without the fake chicken in this one.

For the past year or two I have been getting THE BIRD OF THE WEEK in my inbox from The American Bird Conservatory.  I LOVE seeing the different birds and regions they come from.  This one is the rarest of the rare...the Blue-Eyed Ground Dove.  It's found in Brazil and Critically Endangered.  As of the last count, there were only 16 left.  So sad - but - SO IMPORTANT to share!

Our FTG Bra Collection/Drop-Off made our local media...both radio AND print!

Over at The Whole Foods Co-Op in Erie, I spotted some Cheddar-Style Dip from The Honest Stand.  Since I haven't tried it before I scooped it up while I could!  It was alright!

I'm glad that my father is making wine again!  Here you can see some of his latest batch.  I helped bottle!  He does make vegan and non-vegan wine so he always lets me know which ones contain what.  The one pictured is vegan!

Over at The Whole Foods Co-Op they now have Aqua ViTea Kombucha - from Vermont - on Tap!  Woot!  I sampled a few that day and ended up buying one of the Blood Oranges.  It was FAB!

I have been spotting more Well YES!  Soups in more places!  I'm happy to see the vegan options and I have tried the vegan ones I have found - they are ok - but I prefer to make my own soups at home.

I was super stoked to see a Sabres Game on Hulu Plus LIVE a while back but they have been few and far between.  We thought we would get more LIVE Hockey games that we wanted to see so we recently discontinued that add-on because we weren't getting the use out of it, really, and we were trimming unnecessary costs across the board...more on that in a few...

In the meantime...I'll tell you more about our outings and adventures!  Including our stop at Mad Mex in Erie.  I LOVE that place because there are SO MANY vegan options - but - I haven't been there as often as I would like.  I am thankful for the last two times we did go, tho...once with hubby...and the other time with my parents, sister, and niece.

I found a HUGE tub of Follow Your Heart Sour Cream somewhere, too, and it had been YEARS since I tried their Sour Cream.  I have to say it's better than I remember it.  I do like making my own at home but when it's on sale I usually grab what I can.

Many places have been getting more of the Green Giant Diced and Riced Cauliflower Steamables.  Of course, I always double check the ones I purchase are vegan...some are and some aren't...but I'm thrilled they are coming out with more options that ARE VEGAN!

I couldn't resist this Drew's Grains and Kale Salsa!  It was hardier than most salsa's and pretty terrific!

We did make another trip to Mustard Seed in Ohio before the snow started flying!  I was pumped to find their own VEGAN Pumpkin Bread!  It was great!

Another thing I saw but didn't buy (and now wish I had) was Buddha's Hand!  Have you ever bought and made anything with Buddha's Hand?

I mentioned earlier about one Kombucha now being on tap in Erie but GUESS WHAT...there is a place in Warren that has BOOCH on tap now, too, it's Total Evolution and the BOOCH they have is Earth Below that is regionally brewed in Emporium, PA.  So far I have enjoyed everything I have tried from them!

And that blob in the middle on the bottom - NACHOS - with the sour cream and salsa I mentioned above. 

Eat Pastery VEGAN Cookie Dough is BACK at my local Wegman's!  I also grabbed one of the Wegman's brand BOOCHES while I was at it!

The Baba Ghannouj and Garde'in Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers were from Mustard Seed.  The Baba Ghannouj was ok...I like the one I have made better but haven't made it in ages...and when I see a vegan new-to-me-baba I have to try it!  And I had not seen the Chipotle Lime ones anywhere locally so I thought I would grab a package while at Mustard Seed.  I figured I wouldn't be back until spring.

A few people on IG have encouraged me to post more PLAYLIST and MUSIC stuff so that is what you see in the first photo above.  Then another furkids pic.  Then more Vegan Finds! 

The one is a Cashew Queso.  I found that at Mustard Seed, too, it was alright.  Because it was on sale I grabbed some old school Mac & Chreese.  The last time I saw the Hummus Pods I only bought one package.  I LOVED them so this time I tried two other flavors and they didn't disappoint!  LOVED THEM AGAIN!  I also found another Pupusas that was vegan and finally had those the other night for dinner and enjoy them quite a bit!

Our Zonta Club does 'gifts for mothers' thru our local Salvation Army and I donated a gift bag with goodies in there.  Most of which were vegan...including this Salt Scrub!

In the next several photos you can see some office plant progress.  I have re-potted a few since these were taken.  I have lost a few plants in the last couple of weeks, too, which is disappointing.

I have been drinking tea - as usual - and slowly but surely - submitting more reviews over at Sororitea Sisters.

I did find more VioLife cheeses!  YAY!  And Smoked Gouda from Daiya while in Ohio!  Along with Field Roast and LightLife sandwich slices.

More office plants!  The top 3 are currently doing well.  The one on the bottom right I have since lost.  For some reason, I don't have luck with Begonias.  I have NOT been successful with 4 different varieties of Begonias.

You can also see one of my quick lunches from a while back.  I think it was a Vegan Burger from ALDI and Couscous with Tomato Sauce.  I remember eating this over at my parent's house the one day and I shared some Couscous with Trinity and she LOVED it!

And another bottled BOOCH from Earth Below - available at Total Evolution!  I think that one was either the Honeycrisp Cinnamon or the Grapefruit Rosemary.

While at the Zonta Christmas Party - one of the other members made Vegan Coconut Lemon Balls!  They were AMAZING!

Oh Yeah!  And...Morning Star's Buffalo Wings are now VEGAN or at least have a Vegan Option and labeled differently!  They were on sale at Tops for 3 for $9 so I stocked up!  They are pretty good!  I haven't had many Morningstar products the last several years but glad they are coming out with more Vegan Options!

Since I have been pretty bored with TV lately I have been re-watching The Golden Girls.  Classic!

And more plants!  I was REALLY loving the one on the left...until it fell off the shelf and I lost quite a bit of it.  The African Mask plant on the right I LOVE, too!

This past Christmas I TRIED to do some vegan baking again...with supervision...that is!  I say that while laughing because I am an awful baker!  My mom and I tried a few recipes and everything tasted great!  The picture of the Lemon-Glazed Shortbread in the upper left took a while and was pretty hard the next day.  We found that if you put them in the microwave for about 10 seconds they softened well, tho.

I also have some pictures from the Zonta Christmas Party, too!  It was FUN!  You can see a few of us with the 'Gifts For Mothers' for the Salvation Army that I mentioned earlier, too!

And here are a few other vegan cookies I tried making this year!  The one in the upper left is actually a no-bake with only 3 ingredients we just needed to put them on something while they set.  Peanut Butter, Maple Syrup, and Oats.

My parent's cats and my mom and I making fun of CVS's receipts - my mom only bought 3 things and her receipt was 4 and a half feet long!  CRAZY!  Such a waste!

Hubby and I judge Christmas Trees at a local factory.  I posted on IG a few of the trees!  This year we agreed the Paws Along The River Humane Society DONATION TREE was the winner!  Everything was being donated to the shelter!

And more cookies!  The Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies were a hit everywhere I took them!  I just made them a little bit smaller than I should have!  Then I did Vegan Snickerdoodles!  With some help smushing them half way thru baking them they turned out good!  Funny thing...I don't think I got too many of those...but someone must have liked them!

Vegan Finds, Changes, & Updates!

I was going back thru a slew of photos I have been sitting on since my hiatus and realized just how many I still have yet to post - to blog about - and to share!  This post will be just as busy as yesterday's if not BUSIER!  First I wanted to share with you a salsa I made.  I was lazy the other day and opened a cheap storebought salsa.  It was pretty underwhelming.  Once I added sweet corn and black beans it made all the difference in the world!

Before fair week I went to Wegman's for one last shopping session before all the fair craziness!  My mother and I went and had their salad bar.  This is what I was able to find and it was tasty!  There were 2 kinds of greens for salad base, pickled sweet peppers, butternut squash zoodles, carrots, mushrooms, various seeds, cabbage, peas, artichokes, etc.  I believe I topped it with a Pomegranate Balsamic of sorts. 

One of the items I finally broke down and purchased was Miyoko's Vegan Butter.  I had not yet tried this because it's usually quite pricey.  I remember it being on sale by a buck or two so I figured WHY NOT.

I grabbed a package of these to have in the camper freezer.  I have had them before and with the right dipping sauce, they are pretty good.  

In my travels over the last couple of months I have been seeing more and more places carrying Lenny & Larry's!  I remember having them when they first hit the food shows last year and enjoyed the ones I tried up to that point.  I was just so excited that I saw these at our local Sheetz that I had to grab one!

I picked up these but I cannot remember where I got them.  I want to say they were over at the new Giant Eagle in Erie but I could be wrong.  They were pretty tasty.  I would probably purchase them again if I came across them.

These Vegan Potato and Onion Pierogies were something left from last last Ohio Trip.  They were YUMMY and I remember making a Cashew Based Alfredo Sauce which was even better than the Pierogies themselves!  I was just sooooo thrilled to find a storebought Vegan Pierogies that I couldn't pass them up!

About a month ago or more I made my first online BRANDLESS purchase.  There were a few things that didn't go as planned with my order but it all worked out in the end.  This was one of the things I bought and I am so happy I did!  It's delicious!  And I'm not going to lie...I recently had a couple of spoonsful stand alone and straight up.  I know that's weird but it was tasty and I bet would make a good soup!

One thing I made before Fair Week kicked in was this Lentil Curry.  I just used what I had on hand (which wasn't much) but I made do with what I did have.  Lentils from a Halal Market in Buffalo, Frozen Spinach, Canned Coconut Milk, Canned Stewed Tomatoes, and some spices.  It turned out fine and dandy!

Next up is this Vegan Camping Food Plate.  I have to apologize for the foam plate.  I don't usually buy them or use them.  It was someone elses and it was a thrown together potluck meal.  My mother made Baked Beans which were vegan and no one even knew.  I made the Sweet and Sugary Tomato Salad and there wasn't much of that left.  I used an organic and vegan natural sugar for it.  I also made the Vegan Macaroni Salad which is now being requested by many on the fairgrounds.  Of course that makes me smile.  I'm glad I'm not the only one eating the vegan stuff...eventho...the other people aren't vegan.

One of the new things over at the VIP Tent during fair week was the 'throw back' looking popcorn machine.  The accidently vegan kicker was the 'buttery' look...it was actually a non-dairy coconut oil base.  YAY!

Our fair was the first full week of August but this past weekend we went to a neighboring fair.  We were treated to a special 'ice cream' and because it wasn't vegan I wanted to participate somehow.  I noticed they had frozen bananas on a stick.  I asked if they could do one PLAIN and she said yes.  Oddly...I HATE BANANAS!!!!  But I thought I would step out of my lil box of comfort and try it.  When it was completely frozen it wasn't too bad.  When it started to thaw I couldn't handle the banana taste or aroma.  I ate what I could and shocked my husband in the process!

I did find another accidently vegan option this past weekend, too!  This was a Blooming Potato!  I asked the vendor about the oil and the fryers all they used in the fryer was potatoes and the oil base was vegetable.  There were tons of toppings you could opt for but I stuck with the basic potato and hit up the condiment bar.  I put onion, relish, and ketchup on them and they were VERY filling!  It was a WHOLE POTATO afterall!  I shared with about 6 other people, too!  It was a real winner!

Not sure if I mentioned on the blog but I mentioned on my IG that our town recently got a new Ollie's Bargain Outlet!  I used to visit the one in Erie when I was around and always had to hit up their book section for vegan cookbooks!  Now I don't have to go to Erie!  I have one right here!  So far I have bought at least 4 or 5 discount vegan books there and added them to my collection.  This was one of them.  It was only $2.99.

I absolutely LOVE this photo I was able to take of one of the stray cats in our neighborhood.  I felt bad for her that she was stray but she seems to be fine with being outside.  Prior to leaving for fair she was laying and sleeping on our front steps and stoops.  As soon as I approached her she would run away.  I haven't seen her in about a month.  I hope she's ok.  I always worry about our busy street and animals getting hit.

Another thing I haven't updated you all about in a while is my adorable niece who FINALLY started walking the past couple of weeks.  My mom and dad watch her 3 times a week and took her to a local park yesterday.  Here she is with my mother and their dog Lexi.

And speaking of furkids...here are my two pups!  They have been doing more and more of this since we lost Paco.  Riley is about 17 years old and our feral cat Charlie is 18 so I'm afraid what the future may bring with the two of them being older at the same time.  

Cricket is about 5 now, I think.  She is still the Queen of the Castle.

And another thing I forgot to tell you was that I finally cut my hair a couple of months ago and think I'm already due for another haircut!  With my last two haircuts they cut off about 14 inches of hair!  WOWZA!